Pitocin News

BOX WARNING

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Elective induction of labor is defined as the initiation of labor in a pregnant individual who has no medical indications for induction. Since the available data are inadequate to evaluate the benefits-to-risks considerations, Pitocin is not indicated for elective induction of labor.

PITOCIN SUMMARY

Pitocin (oxytocin injection, USP) is a sterile, clear, colorless aqueous solution of synthetic oxytocin, for intravenous infusion or intramuscular injection. Pitocin is a nonapeptide found in pituitary extracts from mammals. It is standardized to contain 10 units of oxytocic hormone/mL and contains 0.5% Chlorobutanol, a chloroform derivative as a preservative, with the pH adjusted with acetic acid. Pitocin may contain up to 16% of total impurities. The hormone is prepared synthetically to avoid possible contamination with vasopressin (ADH) and other small polypeptides with biologic activity.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Elective induction of labor is defined as the initiation of labor in a pregnant individual who has no medical indications for induction. Since the available data are inadequate to evaluate the benefits-to-risks considerations, Pitocin is not indicated for elective induction of labor.

Antepartum: Pitocin is indicated for the initiation or improvement of uterine contractions, where this is desirable and considered suitable for reasons of fetal or maternal concern, in order to achieve vaginal delivery. It is indicated for (1) induction of labor in patients with a medical indication for the initiation of labor, such as Rh problems, maternal diabetes, preeclampsia at or near term, when delivery is in the best interests of mother and fetus or when membranes are prematurely ruptured and delivery is indicated; (2) stimulation or reinforcement of labor, as in selected cases of uterine inertia; (3) as adjunctive therapy in the management of incomplete or inevitable abortion. In the first trimester, curettage is generally considered primary therapy. In second trimester abortion, oxytocin infusion will often be successful in emptying the uterus. Other means of therapy, however, may be required in such cases.

Postpartum: Pitocin is indicated to produce uterine contractions during the third stage of labor and to control postpartum bleeding or hemorrhage.

Oxytocin promotes facial emotion recognition and amygdala reactivity in adults
with asperger syndrome. [2014]The neuropeptide oxytocin has recently been shown to enhance eye gaze and emotion
recognition in healthy men. Here, we report a randomized double-blind,
placebo-controlled trial that examined the neural and behavioral effects of a
single dose of intranasal oxytocin on emotion recognition in individuals with
Asperger syndrome (AS), a clinical condition characterized by impaired eye gaze
and facial emotion recognition...

Oxytocin improves behavioural and neural deficits in inferring others' social
emotions in autism. [2014]Recent studies have suggested oxytocin's therapeutic effects on deficits in
social communication and interaction in autism spectrum disorder through
improvement of emotion recognition with direct emotional cues, such as facial
expression and voice prosody... The present
findings suggest that oxytocin enhances the ability to understand others' social
emotions that have also required second-order false belief rather than
first-order false beliefs under conditions without direct emotional cues in
autism spectrum disorder at both the behaviour and neural levels.

The Effect of Oxytocin on the Gastric Emptying [Completed]
The investigators are going to examine whether oxytocin has a prokinetic effect on gastric
emptying in patients suffering from gastro paresis. Oxytocin infusion will be compared with
sodium chloride infusion.